NFL or College football Fans

[Alex]

Reggie Wayne has done his ACL. Out for the season.

[Hollowman]

Welcome to a season of drops, brought to you by Darius Heywood-Bet.

[paulg]

It's funny how the teams I've started taking more of an interest in have suddenly reverted to being ****.
Redskins looked decent in pre-season, with plenty of promise. Now getting creamed every week.
Notre Dame, ditto.
Fingers crossed LFC don't follow suit!

[Hollowman]

Notre Dame were always going to have a harder season this year. Good players drafted after last season and they have a harder road schedule. If they get 9-3 this year they'll have had a decent season. Reckon they'll be looking to win the next four games before they go to Palo Alto in the last week.

Their main problem is they have absolutely no bowl options. They have no tie-in to a decent bowl and are relying on another conference having a free space somewhere. If they run the table, beating Stanford, and go 10-2, they might get a BCS bowl (especially if Stanford beat Oregon this weekend), otherwise I reckon they're relying on the ACC sending two of FSU, Miami, and Clemson to BCS games, opening up something like the Military Bowl. But even that would only be against a C-USA opponent. There's a chance the V100 bowl might open up from an SEC perspective, giving them an ACC opponent, but probably not.

Army are having a poor year and might not be bowl eligible, which would open up the Poinsettia bowl, maybe againt Boise. The Pinstripe might fall for them, possibly against Rutgers.

Next year they start their ACC tie-in, which will get them better bowls.

[Chazza]

My god Jacksonville are ****e.

[Alex]

I can't remember too many plays where they have threatened apart from the last when they kicked.

[Chazza]

I knew they were bad but the first half has been pony.

[Alex]

42-10 Shame it wasn't a competitive game at Wembley.

[paulg]

Hollow, is that why the SEC is changing to a play off format from next year? So teams can't end up without a bowl option?

[Hollowman]

SEC is just one conference in the bowl sub division (which is the highest tier). The SEC has had a championship game of its own for years.

It's the whole bowl sub division that is changing to a playoff system, but it won't most teams' bowl opportunities. It just means the top four teams will be put into 'semi finals', which will be two of the big bowl games (eg Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, etc), rotating every year. Winners play off for the title.

The individual conferences (eg SEC, Big Ten, ACC, PAC 12 etc) each have multiple tie-ins with different bowls each year. Over the whole bowl sub division, a little over half of the teams go to a bowl (120 teams in the division, 35 bowls this year) - you have to be at least 6-6 to be eligible, and then it's down to your conference qualification tie-ins to determine which bowl.

Notre Dame are different because they are an independent - they're not in any conference. Usually they have agreements with various bowls that will secure them an invitation, but last year and this they haven't had an automatic tie-in. Last year didn't matter as they went to the championship game, and if they win out (hint - they won't) they'll probably be ranked high enough to go to a BCS bowl this year (Notre Dame are the only team with a unique BCS agreement - if they are ranked in the top 8 they automatically get a BCS place). If they don't, then they'll have to wait on getting an invitation from a random bowls. Not every bowl automatically fills their place - if they're a bowl whose tie-in involves lower ranked teams, then one of them might not make a 6-6 record and so won't be eligible to go to a bowl.

Of course, by their nature those bowls aren't particularly attractive to a team like Notre Dame. The opponent probably won't be great and the money involved won't be up to much. But beggars can't be choosers.

From next year, Notre Dame have an agreement with the ACC. They'll play a minimum of 5 ACC teams each year (which is why they haven't scheduled any games against Michigan after next season's game at South Bend). They won't technically be part of the ACC, and won't be ranked in an ACC division or be able to go to the ACC championship game, but they will be part of the ACC's bowl selection criteria, including their tie in to the Orange Bowl.

[badpiggy]

I can honestly say that I've never seen the word "bowl" used as frequently as I have in Hollowman's last 2 posts. If it was the basis for a drinking game, I'd have been hospitalised ages ago.

[Alex]

Colts win again

Good comeback win this time.

[Hollowman]

That's what happens when they let Luck air it out. Some of their play calling this season, especially in the Chargers loss, has been baffling. That said, he did stink the place out in the first half. Heywood-Bey is woeful.

[paulg]

I can honestly say that I've never seen the word "bowl" used as frequently as I have in Hollowman's last 2 posts. If it was the basis for a drinking game, I'd have been hospitalised ages ago.

I thought that, too. Great reply Hollow, though, thanks.

Update: Redskins are all kinds of **** this year. It's like watching us when McManaman had a bad game. RG3's injury seems to be killing them this year.

[Chazza]

Will Brinson
@WillBrinson
Jason Babin ripped Andre Ellington's hair off his head. Not a euphemism: pic.twitter.com/ai85HfPMuQ